A loving father live streamed his final moments via Facebook as he took his own life.

Paul David Hilton died on April 30 at his home address of Tennis Street, Bolton.

Emergency services were alerted by one of his friends who had received a notification of the live stream and saw the tragedy unfolding.

A number of his friends viewed the live streaming, with one who sent a message to him asking what he was doing but received no reply.

One of his friends watching was so distressed that when he rang emergency services he couldn’t tell the paramedics what the address was, so he “guided” them to the address.

Bolton Coroners Court heard that paramedics were called to the address on April 30 at 7.04am and arrived on the scene at 7.10am, after being called by a friend who had seen the live stream.

They had to force entry into the property, which meant they were only able to gain entry at 7.13am.

Paramedic Luke O’Byrne told the hearing: “We have to make a judgement call whether attempted resuscitation is viable.

“My clinical view is that he was beyond resuscitation from the way the body presented.”

Mr O’Byrne also said that the other paramedics on the scene made the decision turn the camera away “to stop any further distress”.

Mum Carol Hilton told Bolton Coroner’s Court that Paul “loved his children and had a lot to live for”.

At the time he was a ground worker who had just started resurfacing car parks.

Miss Hilton told the hearing that prior to his death he had been “so up and down for the past year” and that he would often “lift himself back up”.

Miss Hilton said: “There have just been so many times. We felt like, ‘what is it going to take to get him that help’?”

Paul had planned to go on holiday with his friend to Albania and was in the process of "doing his house up".

The inquest heard how Paul had suffered from a "long history of mental health-related problems with drug and alcohol use" dating back to 2011.

He had continued to receive a range of community led mental health support, including for drug misuse.

Mental health practitioner Jaclyn Pickup said that during her last telephone appointment just before his death, that Paul was “engaging quite well on the call”.

She added: “During the call Mr Hilton reported that he self-harmed about three weeks ago, but he didn’t require medical attention.

“He had no continued suicidal thoughts, and experience of suicidal behaviour doesn’t necessarily mean intent is there.

“We collaboratively spoke about a treatment plan, and he wanted to continue his medication and he was agreeable to a future appointment with myself.”

Paul was referred to the mental health team in December 2021 by his GP.

Police Coroner’s Officer Juliann Hyde -who interviewed a couple of people who had seen the live stream – told the court that one person stated there didn’t seem to be a “sense of urgency” from the paramedics to cut him down, and that no attempt of CPR was made.

But Mr O’Byrne explained that Paul was assessed and there was evidence of hypostasis, and that his body indicated “he was beyond resuscitation”.

Pathologist Dr Patrick Waugh recorded the medical cause of death as hanging.

Julie Evans' toxicology report found significant levels of cocaine, prescription drugs and high levels of alcohol.

But Ms Evans said: “It’s highly dependent on experience and their surroundings.

“It is very difficult to predict how it will affect anyone at any given time.”

Senior Coroner Timothy Brennand says that whilst Paul had taken a significant quantity of cocaine and alcohol, his ability to understand what he was doing is reflected “in what he was able to achieve that morning”.

He added: “He was setting up and orchestrating the scene to make sure his final moments were live streamed.

“There was the note found in his bedroom, which can be seen as an expression of his intent.

“On the balance of probabilities, this was a deliberate act, which is clear from the degree of preparation observed by witnesses.”

Mr Brennand also said that April 30 was a trigger of behaviours and that it’s clear he was “crying out for help”.

He noted that one of the most “alarming” and “unusual” aspects was that Paul live streamed the events, which was “picked up by a small number of friends”, Recording a conclusion of suicide Mr Brennand said: “The deceased had a history of increased ill health with anxiety, low mood, and depressive disorders where he received antidepressant medication, where he suffered with alcohol and substance misuse.

“I am very sorry for your loss.

“I can not help but feel that if Paul would have known that if he reached out to you that morning, he would have had all the support needed.

“I hope the memories of Paul are not forgotten by the circumstances of his death, and through all of this that you try and cling on to the positive moments of his life.”

Mr Brennand said: “He was somebody who had a lot of potential.”

He added that he understood that the family wanted to know if this was a preventative death and whether the mental health services should or could have done more, but he was satisfied with the care.

He said: “I am entirely satisfied that the primary care team did what they honestly felt was in Paul’s best interests.”

If you're struggling with your mental health or are in crisis, you can call Samaritans free of charge on 116 123 - they're available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

You can also find support on their website here (www.samaritans.org).